Bob Marley and The Wailers, "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)". Natty Dread was the first Wailers album without Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. A hungry mob is an angry mob.

Kraftwerk, "Autobahn". Rolling Stone ran a picture of these guys in one of their books, with the caption, "Is this the face of rock and roll's future?"

Labelle, "Lady Marmalade". When this came out, the women were all pushing 30, having been around singing doo-wop and the like for many years. They even sang backup on a Laura Nyro oldies album. Then they put on space suits and recorded this song, which had been released earlier by someone called Eleventh Hour.

Al Green, "Take Me to the River". For much of the 70s, Al Green had an unmatched run of great music. He had a greatest hits album in 1975 (a desert-island disc if ever there was one), then put out volume two in 1977 ... and he wasn't scraping the bottom of the barrel (Volume Two had this song, "Love and Happiness", "Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy", and more).

Joni Mitchell, "Help Me". Joni wasn't messing around in the early-70s, either: Ladies of the Canyon, Blue, For the Roses, and Court and Spark (which included this song).

Bachman-Turner Overdrive, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". According to the never-wrong Wikipedia, Randy Bachman claimed "the song was performed as a joke for his brother, Gary, who had a stutter".

Bob Dylan, "Dirge". We saw Dylan for the first time on the tour with The Band after the Planet Waves album. I'd link to a video, but that's usually impossible with Dylan, so you'll have to go to the Spotify Playlist to hear it. At least I can post the lyrics:

I hate myself for lovin' you and the weakness that it showedYou were just a painted face on a trip down Suicide Road.The stage was set, the lights went out all around the old hotel,I hate myself for lovin' you and I'm glad the curtain fell.

I hate that foolish game we played and the need that was expressedAnd the mercy that you showed to me, who ever would have guessed?I went out on Lower Broadway and I felt that place within,That hollow place where martyrs weep and angels play with sin.

Heard your songs of freedom and man forever stripped,Acting out his folly while his back is being whipped.Like a slave in orbit, he's beaten 'til he's tame,All for a moment's glory and it's a dirty, rotten shame.

There are those who worship loneliness, I'm not one of them,In this age of fiberglass I'm searching for a gem.The crystal ball up on the wall hasn't shown me nothing yet,I've paid the price of solitude, but at last I'm out of debt.

Can't recall a useful thing you ever did for me'Cept pat me on the back one time when I was on my knees.We stared into each other's eyes 'til one of us would break,No use to apologize, what diff'rence would it make?

So sing your praise of progress and of the Doom Machine,The naked truth is still taboo whenever it can be seen.Lady Luck, who shines on me, will tell you where I'm at,I hate myself for lovin' you, but I should get over that.

Comments

Bob Marley and The Wailers, "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)". Natty Dread was the first Wailers album without Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. A hungry mob is an angry mob.

Kraftwerk, "Autobahn". Rolling Stone ran a picture of these guys in one of their books, with the caption, "Is this the face of rock and roll's future?"

Labelle, "Lady Marmalade". When this came out, the women were all pushing 30, having been around singing doo-wop and the like for many years. They even sang backup on a Laura Nyro oldies album. Then they put on space suits and recorded this song, which had been released earlier by someone called Eleventh Hour.

Al Green, "Take Me to the River". For much of the 70s, Al Green had an unmatched run of great music. He had a greatest hits album in 1975 (a desert-island disc if ever there was one), then put out volume two in 1977 ... and he wasn't scraping the bottom of the barrel (Volume Two had this song, "Love and Happiness", "Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy", and more).

Joni Mitchell, "Help Me". Joni wasn't messing around in the early-70s, either: Ladies of the Canyon, Blue, For the Roses, and Court and Spark (which included this song).

Bachman-Turner Overdrive, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". According to the never-wrong Wikipedia, Randy Bachman claimed "the song was performed as a joke for his brother, Gary, who had a stutter".

Bob Dylan, "Dirge". We saw Dylan for the first time on the tour with The Band after the Planet Waves album. I'd link to a video, but that's usually impossible with Dylan, so you'll have to go to the Spotify Playlist to hear it. At least I can post the lyrics:

I hate myself for lovin' you and the weakness that it showedYou were just a painted face on a trip down Suicide Road.The stage was set, the lights went out all around the old hotel,I hate myself for lovin' you and I'm glad the curtain fell.

I hate that foolish game we played and the need that was expressedAnd the mercy that you showed to me, who ever would have guessed?I went out on Lower Broadway and I felt that place within,That hollow place where martyrs weep and angels play with sin.

Heard your songs of freedom and man forever stripped,Acting out his folly while his back is being whipped.Like a slave in orbit, he's beaten 'til he's tame,All for a moment's glory and it's a dirty, rotten shame.

There are those who worship loneliness, I'm not one of them,In this age of fiberglass I'm searching for a gem.The crystal ball up on the wall hasn't shown me nothing yet,I've paid the price of solitude, but at last I'm out of debt.

Can't recall a useful thing you ever did for me'Cept pat me on the back one time when I was on my knees.We stared into each other's eyes 'til one of us would break,No use to apologize, what diff'rence would it make?

So sing your praise of progress and of the Doom Machine,The naked truth is still taboo whenever it can be seen.Lady Luck, who shines on me, will tell you where I'm at,I hate myself for lovin' you, but I should get over that.